How to Play

Above and Below

2-4 players 90-90 min 7.3 Board Game Geek Rating

After barbarians destroy your village, you discover a new homeland with extensive underground caverns. Players compete to build the strongest village both above and below ground by assigning villagers to jobs like exploring, harvesting, and construction. Cave exploration triggers storytelling encounters from a paragraph book, where choices depend on your expedition team. Victory goes to whoever develops the most impressive village.

Published 2015

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Give Automa a player board

Provide the Automa (solo opponent) with its own player board

Place starting coins

Put 3 coins on the Automa's ready area

Mark cave positions

Place a coin on the 4th and 6th cave locations

Position reputation marker

Place the Automa cube on the torch space on the reputation board

Prepare supply cubes

Place 2 remaining cubes in the supply

Optional encounter preparation

Prepare the Encounter Solo Choices booklet if desired

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Draw cave cards

Draw 1 cave card and gain associated bonuses (reputation or random good depending on card drawn)

Gain goods based on scarcity

Gain 1 good you have the least of, or gain cider if available along with the scarcest good

Buy items from market

Buy 1 potion, cider, or good for 3 coins, then gain 1 random good

Purchase goods at premium

Buy 1 good for 4 coins and gain cider if available

Sell goods for coins

Put 1 random good for sale for 3 or 4 coins

Sell potion and cider together

Put 1 potion and cider for sale for 3 coins, then gain 1 good you have the least of

Gain potions

Gain 2 potions, or gain cider (if available) plus 1 potion

Manage villagers

Discard specific villagers (1st and 4th, or 4th and 5th, or 1st and 3rd) and train replacement villagers if available

Build key houses

Build all cheapest key houses available

Build houses for points

Build all houses/outposts that give the most points, then discard all houses/outposts with beds

Build houses for beds

Build all cheapest houses/outposts with beds, then discard all houses/outposts with points

Build star houses

Build 1 random star house and gain 1 cube

Random good equivalence

When a barrel with equals sign appears, treat random goods as equivalent options

Winning

How to claim victory.

Score villagers

Calculate points as described in the Rule Book for villager cards

Score cave cards

Earn 1 point for each cave card collected

Score torches

Calculate torch/reputation points as described in the Rule Book

Score goods tokens

Earn 1 point for each goods token (potion/cider)

Score cider barrels

Earn 2 points for each cider barrel token

Score cubes

Earn 5 points for each cube collected

Compare final scores

The player with the highest total points wins against the Automa

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Above and Below | Playthrough | Live Stream

Session

Above and Below Board Game Review: Late to the Game

Review

Above and Below

Get Ready

On Your Turn

Winning

watch & Learn

Above and Below | Playthrough | Live Stream

Above and Below Board Game Review: Late to the Game

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